[D&D 5E] Whispered Curse, Day 60- Offshore/Abbott of the Eternal

mrpaku

(Urixes, Jack, Irah)

[Urixes gets a faint sense of.... *something*, for an instant, *maybe*...but this is quickly forgotten in a wash of faint dread...]

Zylrose Half-Elven had endured a *bad* day. The reasons were too innumerable, and too many to get into right now...but he had kept his spirits up! Persevered! Kept forging forward, despite obstacles! The crowd was harsh, sure, and their questions about... accuracy, fair, that was fine. Bit yappy, bit on the blue side, for a bunch of West Coast, yuppie chum sucker simpletons, but...whatever. You're can't win all the people all the time, so on, right?

The breaking point came when, in the middle of town square, town full jeer, *all-eyes-on-him*...his pants were yanked down. His...*privacy* was violated. The crowd *roared* in laughter, everyone pointed and looked...

Zylrose froze. And he thought to himself, I've dreamt this moment.... he had the *whole crowd* now. Reaching down into the chest, he pulled the one trinket from the pile he *knew* was legitmate....once they all had seen *this* thing do it's.... "*whatever* it does," he said to himself, "they'll buy the whole heap"...

Standing and pulling up his pants to the sound of additional laughs and some occasional catcalls, he (with an effort) attempts to resume his salesman demeanor and winning smile in front of the crowd. "*Folks*! You ever fall down and exp...", but he isn't even able to finish his sentence, as the wand he's pulled out and recklessly been waving around as he's been getting his pants up *explodes* into the crowd...

[Urixes, Jack, Irah, please roll for Initiative]

Denada

"...Hmm."

Geth, roll 1d20 for Initiative

Initiative:

1d20 13 [1d20=13]

mrpaku

[Arno and Oak, your afternoon is complete. If your characters would choose to engage each other somehow on the way out, feel free to roleplay that now. After... whatever happens next...Arno will move onto the docks for the early-evening with her new pirate friends. Oak may choose to follow her, or head off in any other location connected to Edgar & Sons. *The storm quickly approaches*...]

The Zombie Penguin

Geth roll 1d20+2 for iniative

iniative:

1d20+2 12 [1d20=10]

Glal

Jack's face goes through a series of emotions, first excitement, then shock, then disappointment, "You mean... he lied?" What a concept.

He turns to the half-elf, just in time to see the wand explode.

Geth roll 1d20+3 for Initiative

Initiative:

1d20+3 6 [1d20=3]

The Zombie Penguin

"People do that pup!" Irah says with a fierce grin, her massive anchor at the ready.

mrpaku

Geth roll 1d20 for "Volkmire's Sprig"

"Volkmire's Sprig":

1d20 14 [1d20=14]

mrpaku

OOC:

[May be a bit today...watching the two kids remote school, the toddler, and the puppy without any backup until sometime this afternoon. However, when I can...and when I've found appropriate lego figures to represent you all...*your battle will comence*. Thanks for your patience! In the meantime, here, have some pause music that probably doesn't mean anything foreboding...]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RCXMDPU61QM

The Zombie Penguin

((OOC: Honestly, in the interests of keeping things moving i'd say it's better to just theatre of mind things. PbP is not great in my opinion for going full tactical battle. YMMV!))

mrpaku

[ @Glal @Denada , how do you feel about it? Everyone else? If you all want to go full theatre of the mind, we can actually start now(ish), but I felt like I was short changing you on the experience without some kind of visual going forward. I'll leave it to the group to discuss! ]

The Zombie Penguin

((I mean my concern is it puts a huge load on you as a DM to both create and maintain the maps- it ain't like roll 20 or similar where it does that for you. Your doing plenty on the evocative descriptions so far, so I've got a pretty clear mental image!))

Denada

OOC: I'm fine either way. I don't mind waiting if you'd like to set up a map, but I don't mind rolling without one either. Whatever makes life better for the DM!

mrpaku

The Zombie Penguin wrote: »

((I mean my concern is it puts a huge load on you as a DM to both create and maintain the maps- it ain't like roll 20 or similar where it does that for you. Your doing plenty on the evocative descriptions so far, so I've got a pretty clear mental image!))

OOC:

Thanks, I appreciate that!

Yeah, that's why the plan was probably legos...my kids have *a ton of them* they got handed down from me (and they rarely play with them, even, weird children...), a table and everything, and we have an unfinished basement where I could set up some rough scenes with cardboard boxes and stuff and rope off a "kid's don't touch" section. Then the investment just becomes posting movements to Imgur as needed, as I understand it (and you guys being able to understand *Batman* is the *vampire*, ECT.) I didn't like basically*any* of the online tools I found trying to do the same thing

The Zombie Penguin

((I'll be completely honest: I'd personally find Lego to actually detract from things, rather than enhance the experience. Esp of its adding the mental over head of going what was batman again?))

Glal

((I am good either way! Considering your current time crunch and the assumed simplicity of the first encounter we could maybe do this combat in the theatre of the mind and then figure out after how to do them going forward? Gives us some time to dig around, see if there are more practical solutions to this to take the load off of you))

mrpaku

It's frogs. Was I subtle about that?

A *noxious* green cloud has quickly began to grow from the blast of malevolent neon energy Zylrose accidentally just shot into the crowd. The shock of the light and sound had initially kept many of the crowd awestruck, but most begin to peel away and then flee when they smell the overwhelming, pungent whiff of bogwater in the green smoke, and see three *large* lurching figures emerge....



One of the frog's front paws both give out under it at once and it crashes, *disoriented* from the summoning and sudden new reality. Another, alert and aggressive, *immediately* bounds back across the square, directly at Zylrose's throat. The last one, alerty looking around the square for threats in this new place....leaps over to Urixes, giving a loud *RIBB-IT* as it jumps

Zitz is confused!

Geth roll 1d20-1 for Rash

Geth roll 1d20-1 for Pimple


OOC:

[ Duly noted. This discussion will continue amongst anyone who has an opinion (if the group decides) as a matter of "theatre of the mind" vs. "handmade grids and some simple tokens". The DM is on board with *either one* the group decides is most efficient and best for the game in the long run, but for the moment, we're going with the former. This post will shortly be updated with the details of your slimy demises. Stand-by... ]

Rash:

1d20-1 16 [1d20=17]

Pimple:

1d20-1 10 [1d20=11]

mrpaku

From that one quick bound, Rash hit the half elf *right* in the chest and already has Zylrose's *entire* upper torso in his mouth. Through sheer physical size, he is forcing him down onto the bench, attempting to swallow him whole. Zylrose's salesmanship skills suddenly evade him. He is screaming like a *banshee*.

Geth roll 1d6+1 for Rash

Urixes, you watch Pimple the whole way down as he *leaps* across the square and attempts to nibble you on the way past as he lands. You shift aside at the last second and the frog hits the ground with finesse, turning quickly and making angry, guttural noises at you as it rears up for another attempt...

[Urixes, it is your turn]

Rash:

1d6+1 2 [1d6=1]

Denada

Urixes snarls as he extends his hand toward the giant frog. A blast of arcane energy erupts from his outstretched palm...

Geth, roll 1d20+5 for Eldritch Blast
Geth, roll 1d10 for Force Damage

OOC: I've also struggled with finding a digital map platform that I liked. This one has come the closest so far as just a simple "let me throw some tokens on a map real quick" kind of thing. It doesn't have all the extra junk and logins that I don't want, just a simple way to make a map, draw on it, and move tokens around.

Eldritch Blast:

1d20+5 11 [1d20=6]

Force Damage:

1d10 2 [1d10=2]

mrpaku

*Pimple is blasted back several feet by the arcane energy! He is now charred, swaying, and stumbling, but still a threat.*

[Irah Hullbreaker, it is your move]

The Zombie Penguin

Irah laughs. And laughs. And LAUGHS her braids standing on end wildly as if she's got electricity running through her. "Come on pup! Let's kill some froggies!"

She charges the frog nearest to her right as Alkono swoops out of the sky and buzzes past it, distracting it. Hullbreaker describes a beautiful arc through the sky as it slams straight into the skull of one of the frogs, almost certainly maiming it badly

Geth roll 1d20+5 for Hullbreaker
Geth roll 1d20+5 for Hullbreaker Advantage
Geth roll 2d6+5 for Hullbreaker damage.

((OOC: Irah has activated her rage. She has one more use today. Alkono has used it's movement to do the help action and escaped out of melee range of the frog without provoking an OOA thanks to it's Flyby feature. Hence, advantage! ))

Hullbreaker:

1d20+5 11 [1d20=6]

Hullbreaker Advantage:

1d20+5 22 [1d20=17]

Hullbreaker damage:

2d6+5 10 [2d6=1, 4]

mrpaku

*Irah whacks Zitz underneath the chin with a devastating swing from her anchor! The beast hangs suspended in the air for a full second, neck snapped back grotesquely, before crashing into the ground with a sick THUD. It's wounded badly now, dripping ichor...and desperate!*

[Jack, it's your turn!]

Glal

Jack yelps! and scrambles back as suddenly giant frogs, bumping his back against Irah, "See? They were real! I knew I should have gotten one of 'em..." He winces as a frog gets itself a good taste of half-elf, then moves out of the way of the charging barbarian.
"I guess we're fighting then? Yes?" A few seconds of the sound of battle. "I'll take that as a yes."
The youth regrets leaving his bow at the inn, but who carries a longbow around town? Still, he's not entirely unprepared and whips out his light crossbow (curses your target with misfortune or your money back!), hurriedly pushing his belongings into a pile with his foot and takes aim at the one Irah just charged.
"Hey! Don't frog-et me!" He looks intensely pleased with himself.

Geth, roll 1d20+7 for Light Crossbow
Geth, roll 1d8+3 for Piercing Damage

Light Crossbow:

1d20+7 15 [1d20=8]

Piercing Damage:

1d8+3 8 [1d8=5]

mrpaku

*Zitz barley has time to try to stumble to it's feet again before the bolt penetrates it's face- the light goes out of it's eyes, and it slumps over; falls dead*

[What is left of the crowd has broken into a full blown panic... everyone is clawing and yelling over each other as they flee, and the city guard attempts haphazardly and at a *wide* distance to usher people to safety...]

Rash, attempting to choke down a "struggling-less-all-the-time-now" Zylrose, witnesses the death of it's mate... and begins retching, grossly, *repeatedly*, in a sign of revenge, or distaste... maybe both... Zylrose, whom hasn't stopped screaming throughout all this, hits it one final time with his fists, *right* in the ribs...and Rash wetly and aggressively *spits* Zylrose out in a wet expulsion...*directly* in Jack's direction...

Geth roll 1d20+1 for "Bullshitter-Spitter"

Urixes, Pimple has shaken off the Eldritch blast now...he comes at you and his yaw opens wide.... WIDER...

Geth roll 1d20+3 for "Snacks"

"Bullshitter-Spitter":

1d20+1 17 [1d20=16]

1d20+3 13 [1d20=10]

mrpaku

Geth roll 1d6+1 for "Jack catches a Half-Elf, with his ribs"

Geth roll 1d6+3 for "Urixes is a *legit* snack"

*Jack takes 2 force damage, as the spit-covered Half-Elf crashes into his torso and collapses!*

*Urixes takes 6 damage, and is grappled as the frog slowly attempts to swallow him [ @Denada , a Dexterity Check of 11 frees you, and it's your turn. Should he fail his Dex Check, he remains grappled, and it will be Irah's turn next!]*

"Jack catches a Half-Elf, with his ribs":

1d6+1 2 [1d6=1]

"Urixes is a *legit* snack":

1d6+3 6 [1d6=3]

The Zombie Penguin

In the interests of keeping things moving: When it's Irah's turn again, she wants to grab Zitz's freshly made corpse and bludgeon whichever Giant Enemy Frog is left alive with it. What sorto f roll should i be making?

mrpaku

The Zombie Penguin wrote: »

In the interests of keeping things moving: When it's Irah's turn again, she wants to grab Zitz's freshly made corpse and bludgeon whichever Giant Enemy Frog is left alive with it. What sorto f roll should i be making?

OOC: [You *also* have to beat an 11. Include your +3 strength bonus. In the event of a failure, your corpse-weapon does 1/2 damage and explodes into viscera *immediately* upon use. In the event of catastrophic failure, you are unable to hold the slimy thing properly to wield it]

The Zombie Penguin

((When you say i have to beat an 11 - you want me to roll a d20 to grab the corpse? So that's a grapple check, which is Strength (Atheltics) and i'll have advantage on it due to rage. just to be clear?))

The Zombie Penguin

"Pup, One being real is not all being real! use that skull!" Irah proceeds to headbutt Zitz just prove proper head useage, and then grabs the corpse, dropping hullbreaker as she does.

((I'll take that 12.))

Geth roll 1d20+5 for StrAth
Geth roll 1d20+5 for StrAthAdv

StrAth:

1d20+5 12 [1d20=7]

StrAthAdv:

1d20+5 11 [1d20=6]

Denada

Geth, roll 1d20+2 for Dexterity Check

Dexterity Check:

1d20+2 17 [1d20=15]

Denada

Urixes untangles himself from the frog's slimy grip, cursing as he stares daggers at the disgusting beast. "I've had about enough of this," he snarls, though he doesn't have time to muster up another blast of energy. Instead, he reaches into a deep, dark part of himself and summons a dark tentacle from the ether. The tentacle, crackling with lightning, swings at the frog...

OOC: Using my action to escape the grapple, then my bonus action to use Grasp of the Deep. A tentacles appears next to the frog and attacks it. Assuming that hits, the frog's speed is reduced by 10 feet until the start of my next turn.

Geth, roll 1d20+5 for Grasp of the Deep.
Geth, roll 1d8 for Lightning Damage.

Grasp of the Deep:

1d20+5 15 [1d20=10]

Lightning Damage:

1d8 4 [1d8=4]

mrpaku

*Pimple crackles and jerks as the tentacles course electricity through him. As the tentacles disappear back from where they came, he slumps over, dead.*

*Irah, with a happy roar, begins swinging the dead frog around by its back legs, allowing the momentum to carry her across the square towards the final frog. Building to a barely seen blur, with a final twirl, she smashes the frog corpse into his brother's throat*

Geth roll 2d6+5 for "Frog Hammer"

[Jack, you are up!]

"Frog Hammer":

2d6+5 10 [2d6=1, 4]

Glal

Jack looks at Irah defiantly, "But they might be, right?". He watches his bolt sink into the giant frog as it keels over and beams triumphantly! He did that! "Hey! Hey, angry lady, did you see that? I killed the giant fro-UGH!!"
Catching the half-elf square in the chest he is sent off his feet and finds himself lying on his back, a spit-covered Zylrose on top of him.

"You're... welcome..." He struggles to pull himself from under the salesman and stands up (half movement), giving him a look, "This rescue is worth at least a magic item, yea?" Look, they MIGHT be real, it is a non-zero chance! Wiping the frog spit off himself he picks up his crossbow once more and aims it at the last biggun.
"Frog pun!"

Geth, roll 1d20+7 for Light Crossbow
Geth, roll 1d8+3 for Piercing Damage

Light Crossbow:

1d20+7 23 [1d20=16]

Piercing Damage:

1d8+3 9 [1d8=6]

mrpaku

*Rash, smashed into the bench by the corpse, rebounds back with a vengeance at Irah and emits an angry *RIBB-IT* as he goes to take a bite of her...when Irah up close sees a crossbow bolt suddenly *rip* out sideways from underneath his lolling tongue. Rash coughs, (a wet, broken sound), spitting a spurt of green ichor on Irah's face...teeters and falls over at her feet*

Applause and appreciative whistles ring out at you all from the few remaining bystanders in the area. The Fox Crew is cheers-ing Irah in particular from the fountain...you keep hearing the phrase "Sticky Wicket"...in the middle of the street, Zylrose rolls around slowly, moaning in pain...

[Everyone here receives 50 experience! Please attend to any business you still have in the area, then let me know where these guys are headed next. Once I have everyone's locations in, I can begin the Docks for the very patient Oak and Arno (and whoever else!)]

Glal

Jack looks extremely pleased with himself, waving to the crowd he is certain is cheering for him before heading to his pile of stuff and the groaning half-elf, "You okay there, bud?" He offers him a hand to pull him up before gathering his stuff back up.

"Soooo, uh. Any reward for that rescue then?" He grins to him.

((whether or not he gets something he'll be returning back to the inn with his purchases after))

mrpaku

Zylrose is sputtering, retching, attempting to clean the slime off himself with a small handkerchief square. He looks down aghast at his ruined clothing. He still hasn't thanked Jack.

"Wha...reward? Yeah...yeah, sure uhh, go ahead and grab yourself something....you *all* can, why not..." His face is crestfallen as part of the fabric on his shirt tears as he attempts to clean it, leaving him mostly shirtless.

[Urixes, Jack, and Irah, you may each make an Arcana, Investigation, or Insight check upon examining the chest. The chest seems to be mostly filled with someone's personal possessions, and on first glance all of it appears either mundane or crap. But maybe there's something good in here! You may also give an indication of what your PC may be looking for as they dig around...who knows, you *might* get lucky...]

mrpaku

[If Urixes, Jack or Irah wants to go the "dig through garbage and pick something out" method, *here* is the full list of items found within the trunk. Once Irah and Urixes decide upon their next location, early evening will arrive. Dark, angry gray clouds are rolling in, and night will fall shortly...]

- Strange-Tasting Harmonica
- Tactical Mirror
- Feathered-Fountain Pen
- Pretty Ring
- Dingy Tinderbox
- Weird Knife
- Suspicious Vial
- Large Sack
- Cute Necklace
- Porous Rocks
- Rusted Key
- Notched Arrow
- Bone-Dice Set
- Stained Bedroll
- Commoner's Clothes
- Ugly Mask
- Curious Novel
- Grimy Cello and Bow
- Dart Set
- Child's Doll
- Simple Wooden Branch
- Ornate Goblet
- Spyglass
- Juggler's Outfit
- Manacles
- Bear Trap

The Zombie Penguin

Geth roll 1d20+2 for investigate

investigate:

1d20+2 16 [1d20=14]

mrpaku

The Zombie Penguin wrote: »

Geth roll 1d20+2 for investigate

[This message is for Irah's eyes only, unless she chooses to share. Or not- you do you!:]

You are *positive* that worthwhile (in one sense or another) items in here include the knife, the doll, the rocks, the broken cello, the unadorned branch, and the bone dice. You might have missed something, possibly...but Irah's got a *pretty* good eye..

The Zombie Penguin

Irah Lets go off the frog corpse. After a moment, she also lets go of the frog leg she was still holding - seems like she got a little to enthusiastic in beating one frog to death with another frog. Retrieving Hullbreaker, she heads over to the chest and slightly rudely pushes Zylrose out of hte way to dig on through. After a moments thoguht, she grabs the knife.

"I'll be taking this as payment for fixing your mess, idiot. Next time you want to sell stuff, just talk about it's virtues straight instead of insulting everyone and everything in passing. Pup, you want my advice: Take the dice or the branch, they might be worth something"

Alkono lands on Zylrose chest as this is going on and chatters angrily at him. "Oh, and elf, whatever your name is - Alkono says to tell us what these do, or they'll poop on you. They're like that".

mrpaku

Irah

Zylrose attempts to speak...almost gets there...then begins crying, pointing, jabbering in a pathetic and mounting *frustration* at nearly *everything* else in the general area. He points at the frog corpses as the reason...and the weather why he didn't... his wimpering prostrations make the Edgar family seem comprehensible...eventually, he might off-handedly admit to a potential robbery, maybe something resembling a murder, but not in a like,...an *out-loud* and prosecutable, sense...Through simple logic, you come to understand that this man didn't originally own this chest... knows, in fact, *nothing* about it, even it's origins....

[Irah, add one "Weird Knife" to your Inventory]

Weird Knife- Ignores *any* Armor-based AC bonus. Shatters *immediately* upon a successful use. Apply 1d4 piercing. Add 1d8 additional psychic damage